The Florida Panthers hockey team is asking for a multi-million-dollar renovation of Broward County’s arena on the edge of the Everglades, arguing that the work is essential so the arena can attract more fans and concerts.

Broward County owns the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and might be asked to help pay for the re-do, a set of six upgrades that total $14 million to $15 million. Panthers owners haven’t said how it would be paid for. But they pitched a remake that relied on public financing, Broward County Commissioner Lois Wexler said.

The $185 million arena, which opened in 1998, was built with public financing for then-Panthers-owner H. Wayne Huizenga. Broward leaders were sold on the controversial arena deal with promises that profits would return to the taxpayers. That happened only once, county officials said.

Now the team’s top management is paying private visits to Broward’s nine commissioners to tell them that the arena needs: new digital signs indoors and out, a new center-hung scoreboard where sponsorships could be sold, a 700-seat members-only club for patrons who pay for an annual pass to all events, with food, drinks and parking included, and where they could watch events; a “patio’’ bar amidst the lower level seats where fans could stand and drink a beer while watching the show or game; smaller suites or “opera boxes’’ that seat four or maybe six visitors instead of the 15 to 20 the larger suites accommodate now; and a new curtain system that would allow the top level to be blacked out so that smaller concerts could be booked without concern that the huge arena would look empty.

The county’s newly required lobbying logs reveal that in two of the meetings, U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, was present. Mayor Sue Gunzburger and Commissiner Chip LaMarca said he told them he supports the renovation.

The hockey arena draws tens of thousands to its concerts, shows and Panthers games each year. Big time acts including Madonna and U2 have played at the arena. But at its relatively young age of 13, it’s old in arena terms and needs work, says Michael Yormark, president of the Panthers and its parent company, arena operator Sunrise Sports and Entertainment (SSE).

“It’s been maintained very, very well,’’ Yormark said Monday. “But there’ve been a lot of new buildings that’ve been built during that time.’’

The arena sits in Wexler’s district, and Yormark and Panthers majority owner Cliff Viner, along with lobbyist John Milledge, went to her first. She said the team “laid out a beautiful book of all kinds of absolutely necessary improvements’’ that would create a better experience for visitors and would prompt them to spend more money there.

But when they told her how they thought it should be paid for, she was vehemently opposed. Wexler said she didn’t feel comfortable repeating the team’s idea; she told Yormark to “go back to the drawing board.’’

“Yes, it involved public funds, and it was unacceptable to me, their proposal. And I very clearly and loudly said it,’’ Wexler said Monday.

County commissioners who met with the Panthers had mixed reactions, but at least four were tantalized.

“The gut reaction is if it’s really going to make money and make money sooner, why wouldn’t I want that?’’ said Commissioner Ilene Lieberman.

Commissioner Dale Holness said “if there’s an opportunity for the public to win, then yes,’’ he is interested.

LaMarca said he was told the county would almost immediately see profits, and also said team officials mentioned the county could levy another one-cent hotel bed tax to pay for the improvements. County tourism chief Nicki Grossman said she and her Tourist Development Council oppose the tax increase.

Yormark said West was already in County Hall and asked if he could sit in on LaMarca’s meeting. He then walked in Gunzburger’s office to talk to her.

West said in a written statement that he supports "looking into the expansion of the Bank Atlantic Center because I see this as an opportunity to bring more revenue into the county as well as bring more jobs to South Florida.”

Over the years, the arena has been renovated numerous times without public participation, team spokesman Matt Sacco said.

But the county has helped out, as well. In 2006, Broward gave SSE a $9.5 million loan, and about $5 million of it was used to renovate the arena three years ago. Just last year, Broward loaned the team $7.5 million.

Yormark said the team is not looking to refinance debt payments to Broward.

“Since the building opened in 1998, we’ve never not paid our debt service, we’ve never been late, we’ve never been delinquent,’’ he said. “We’ve made every payment we’re obligated to make and will continue to.’’

Comments

Please tell me these commissioners are not that gullible. We just fired 1400 teachers yet we have the funds for opera boxes and scoreboards??? Broward is in the banking business now that we should be lending money to them again? This is just ridiculous....

Its underinsured now so if they spend for these upgrades will they up the insurance coverage? If the hockey team could win games, and they did not gouge us to park, maybe more fans would go. The team has been sold at least twice since huizenga unloaded it. also the funding source they want is also going to give the broward performing center $20 mil or so.

No where in all this giving in to the owners of professional teams at the expense of taxpayers is it stated that the subject teams have to have winning seasons. They base the income on projections for attendance, concerts Etc.

If the owners need something for that place;
1. let them pay for it out of their take.
2. raise the ticket prices.
3. cut the players pay.
4. all of the above.
Don't like any of those ideas? Get that team the hell out of Broward.

Why is it, the arena ALWAYS seems to post just under the $14 million needed to increase the county's share of the profits? And I mean ALWAYS...

County Participation in Net Income
The Operating Agreement with the AOC provides profit sharing with the County in any fiscal year in which net income exceeds $14 million. All amounts in excess of $14 million are split 20%/80% between the County and Panthers, respectively. As shown in Table 1 on page 4, 1999 was the only year in which net income resulted in profit-sharing. The County was paid approximately $331,000.

http://www.broward.org/Auditor/Documents/arena_final052510.pdf

From Appendix 5.3.1 -

Within thirty (30) days after the end of each operating quarter (starting with the second quarter after the commencement of the Term), and to the extent cash available in the Operating Fund exceeds the projected cash requirements reasonably anticipated by Operator for the following quarter, Operator shall cause any Net Operating Income and other funds remaining in the Operating Fund received during such operating quarter to be distributed as follows: (i) First, to the extent of the first $14,000,000 of Net Operating Income earned during such Fiscal Year (if any) or other funds remaining in the Operating Fund, Operator shall pay Team 100% of such Net Operating Income or other funds remaining in the Operating Fund; (ii) Second, to the extent that Net Operating Income or other funds remaining in the Operating Fund exceeds $14,000,000 during such Fiscal Year (if any), Operator shall pay Team eighty percent (80%) and County twenty percent (20%) of such Net Operating Income or other funds remaining in the Operating Fund.”

So essentially, tho its posted by Pollstar.com regularly that the arena is one of the best, or is the best, arena/ stadium in the nation for profits, it miraculously never seems to earn enough money to pay any of the profits to the county. ABSOLUTELY amazing.

West said in a written statement that he supports "looking into the expansion of the Bank Atlantic Center because I see this as an opportunity to bring more revenue into the county as well as bring more jobs to South Florida.”

REALLY? More jobs? What jobs would those be? The 20 or so VERY short term jobs installing new LED signs? And at only at millions of dollars from the County.... oh yeah... and it wouldn't "cost" the County anything... just levy another one-cent bed tax.... Sounds like... "eh... its just another tax on visitors... no skin off my back"

You want more people at the arena..... learn to run a good hockey team and draw quality acts for concerts and other events.... and let the folks who will make the money.... pay for the improvements.

I fail to see how this would be an "investment" by the taxpayers that would reap worthwhile rewards.

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About the authors

Broward County is an unusually rich territory for political news. The Broward Politics blog is devoted to the politicians, the activists, the parties, the policies, the issues, the elections - in the county and its communities.

ANTHONY MAN is the Sun Sentinel’s political writer. Concentrating on local political people, parties and trends, he also covers state and national politics from a South Florida perspective. He's coordinating the Broward Politics blog with contributions from reporters throughout the county. Before moving to the Broward political beat, he covered politics and Palm Beach County government for the Sun-Sentinel, including touch-screen voting and the Supervisor of Elections Office. He's also covered municipal, county, state, and federal elections and made repeated reporting trips to Tallahassee for regular and special sessions of the Florida Legislature. He joined the Sun-Sentinel in 2002 after covering state and local politics in Illinois. Like so many others in South Florida, he's originally from a New York suburb (Rockland County).

BRITTANY WALLMAN covers Broward County and news. A 1991 University of Florida graduate, Wallman started her journalism career at the Fort Myers News Press. She and her husband Bob Norman have two young children -- Creed and Lily. Wallman was born in Iowa and spent half her childhood there, the remainder in Oklahoma. She has covered local government and elections her entire reporting career -- including covering the infamous 2000 recount here in the presidential election. (She has a Mason jar with a "hanging chad'' inside to prove it.)

LARRY BARSZEWSKI covers Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors. In the past, he has reported on Palm Beach County government and schools, aging and social issues, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach and state legislative sessions. He wrote for the Denver Post, Bradenton Herald and Miami Herald before joining the Sun Sentinel in 1988. A Massachusetts native, he lives in Boca Raton with his wife, Maggie, and teenage daughters Jessica and Jackie.